


Change of Heart

by rainsonata



Category: Elsword (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-26 02:02:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13847730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainsonata/pseuds/rainsonata
Summary: Add had every reason to be wary of her. She had a keen eye and wasn’t as quick to trust as her brother. Things change when they’re forced to cooperate in Sander. Slowburnish fic from Sander to Elrianode.





	Change of Heart

_ Sander _

Her hair was the color of fire, untamed and spread out like a pineapple at the top. Light flickered in her bright eyes when she talked to him. A mischievous smile played on her pink lips. The way she held herself reminded him of a man. She walked with a straight back with her legs apart and Claymore resting over her shoulders like she owned the paved road. 

Add shoved his hands inside his pockets and looked away, his eyes gazing at the endless ocean of sand. It was like Bethma again. Even with Dynamo’s cooling system, warm air blew in his face and made it difficult to discern the questioning expression Elesis had. Why did he get stuck with Pineapple?

What was Elbrat thinking when he suggested splitting into groups of twos and threes to look for the wind priestess? It wasn’t his fault she was incompetent enough to get kidnapped by demons.   


“Hurry up,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.” 

Add rode over the sand on Dynamo to catch up to the woman. Unfortunately, there were limits to how often he could use that function if he wanted to save energy to defend himself from demons. Ugh, he needed a shower after this too. There was sand in his tangled hair and his skin was toasted under the harsh sunlight.   


“You’re the one being slow,” the red-haired woman shrugged with an exasperated sigh. “Can’t you walk with your own two feet?” 

And get sand in his shoes again? Absolutely not!   


“Why do that when it’s more efficient to rely on Nasod technology?” The Mastermind forced a chuckle, “Perhaps you’re jealous?” 

Elesis scoffed, “There’s nothing to be jealous about.” 

Outside Sanders, there were no stoned walls to hold the strong wind from billowing past them or mud floors to keep the temperature at a tolerable level. They could have waited until night fell to explore the outskirts of the region, but the Rune Slayer just had to play hero and insist on going  _ now _ . Did that fool ever stop to think about things? 

“Why don’t you take off your coat?” Elesis asked when she saw the scientist fanning himself with his hand. “You have to be burning up in that.” 

“And you’re wearing one too,” Add pointed at her coat with burnt marks at the edges. “Who’s idea was it to come here in the daytime? That brat-” 

“Is my brother.” 

The scientist stopped talking when she dropped the playful demeanor and turned around to exchange a serious expression. Add didn’t join Elsword and his friends until their encounter in Hamel, but he wasn’t oblivious to how close the Sieghart siblings were. Did he touch a sore spot? 

Despite the height difference, it was hard to believe she was a head shorter than him when there was liveliness and enthusiasm in her mannerisms that was almost contagious. There was a rare calmness in her voice today when she spoke. 

“Maybe his decisions aren’t always sound, but I trust him.” Elesis said, “I know you don’t want part in any of this, but we’re already out here in Deadman’s land. If you want to get back to Sanders, you’re stuck with me.” 

“Not like I have an option,” he said.   


“Vapor said they went this way,” she ignored the snide comment. “The Temple of the Wind is supposed to close by. Let’s look for it and use it as a landmark.”    


The Sanders alchemist did mention something about ancient ruins if one could look beyond the sand dunes. It was once a sacred place of worship before the demon infestation became too much for the mages and the priestess to control. If there was former human establishment, even in ruins there had to be an oasis or some sort of water source for them to refill their canteens. 

Sand exploded in his face, or it would have if Dynamo wasn’t quick shield its owner from being attacked by a pair of sharp teeth. A creature covered in plated armor lunged at him, waving a staff made of bones at the scientist. Another one attacked from behind, making heavy grunts when Add turned to electrocute it with an install. 

“I’ll take this side!” Elesis drew out her weapon. 

The heavy blade burst into flames as the fire swordsman formed a wall of fire to contain the demons. Sparks flew from her weapon as she struck the demons’ exterior. Her flames licked their exoskeletal skin into the color of charcoal, their shrieks sending a shockwave across the sandy plains. 

Add saw a mere fraction of her battle abilities when they were in the water-oriented city of Hamel. Not unlike the Trocks, Elesis’s back was hunched in a fighting stance when she braced her legs to swing her sword at the demons. Fire danced at her fingertips with her hair tailing behind with her white jacket, flames lighting up her face like fireworks.

Dynamo broke under the pressure of the demons pushing their weight, piling on top of the scientist with teeth and claws extended. Blood trickled down Add’s arm when he shoved one away. Electric currents sparking through the dry air, his ponytail rising from the wind. Static crackled as he activated one of his installs. Lasers showered down after he struck a demon in the jaw and pulled it in with the others.

The mob flopped over the sand, some of them with their mouths opened and gasping for air with their armor cracked open to expose periwinkle colored flesh. How pathetic they must be to attack in groups. Add chuckled to himself when there was a flash of heat coming from his right-handed side. At the corner of his peripheral vision, blades arose from the ground, engulfed in flames as they devoured the remnants of the mob. 

“Watch it!” Add glared at Elesis just as he stepped away to avoid getting his coat ruined. It was already troublesome without her heating up the ground for him to feel it through the soles of his shoes!           


“My bad,” she gave a sheepish grin and pointed to the pile of demons. “You missed a spot.” 

Elesis skid over the scorched sand on her high heels to hold her ground. Raising Claymore to block a demon from smacking her with a staff, she twisted her body around and swung her blade across its neck. Black ink spurted out as it choked on its own blood, clogging its throat and leaving little room for it to make a sound. The red-haired woman turned to look at Add and cried.

“Hey!” Elesis saw red blood dripping from his shoulder and grabbed his arm. “You’re losing blood!” 

He twisted his arm to see the gash across and the blood smeared with gravel. The cut wasn’t deep enough for him to see his bone peeking out, but it ached with dull pain. He looked at his arm in fascination, fighting the temptation to wipe the blood when it squeezed out from a bit of pressure. 

“Come on, let me take care of that!” 

Add let out a yelp when she pulled him down to sit on the dirty floor. Away from the fallen demons, sure, but still unsanitary in his opinion. It was more painful to watch her dig through her unorganized inventory for the bandages than the wound itself but seeing the intense look she had stopped him from commenting so. 

Despite the initial clumsiness, she proved herself when she was quick to dress his wounds with a familiarity of a person getting ready for school. The bandages were wrapped around his injured shoulder and a few other places.   


“Did the demons scare you?” Elesis must have mistaken his silence for fear and hugged him. She finished with applying a bandage on the scientist’s nose, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you!” 

“I can handle them fine,” Add grumbled. “You should be careful about yourself.” 

“Nothing the Blazing Heart can’t handle!” She beamed, “That’s everything, right? Let’s go look for those ruins!”   


This woman… he couldn’t look away at the demons and the remains of what was left of them. Their bodies were already disintegrating from being burned to cinder, but watching the birds pick apart their bones brought a chill down his spine. This was all done by her. They were the same age, but she had the capability of a destructive storm and she did it with a smile on her face. 

_ What a terrifying person _ . 

Add took note never get on her bad side. 

* * *

_ Lanox _

What was it with Fluone’s crazy weather? A vein popped out from Add’s forehead when the scientist sat on a bench outside the inn that  housed with Elgang. Unlike the dry desert heat in Sanders, there was an uncomfortable humidity because of the volcanic activity in Lanox. It almost made him miss Sanders. 

_ Almost. _    


Humanity was testing its limits when the city’s residents chose to build their home over a volcano with a stream of lava still flowing downward. The baked clay tiles kept the ground from getting hot, but that didn’t stop him from feeling disgusting because his skin wouldn’t stop sweating. How anyone grew accustomed to the ashy skies or the never resting sound of machinery whirring in the background was beyond Add’s understanding.   


“We still need to rescue the Earth Priestess,” Elesis had a popsicle in her hand. Giving it a couple of licks and smacking her lips, she asked, “Did you do what I asked you?”   


The wrapper she opened for it looked like one of the fruit flavored popsicles bought from the stalls. It had a sour but sweet tangy smell that could only belong to a fruit. Add could smell it from where he sat, trying not to be distracted when the fire swordsman paused to take an occasional lick or stop to bite it down. It was hard to take the weight of their conversation with seriousness when she was making weird faces while eating.      


Add finished setting up the spare drone he made in his lab last night. He didn’t like to take shortcuts for any of his inventions, even if it was for a simple task. They were a pair of drones shaped like black pucks that could fit in the palm of his hand. Small enough to avoid detection, big enough to capture the footage they needed for what was coming up. 

“You gave me a last minute request, but of course a genius like me can finish it in no time.” He adjusted the drone to be at the center of the table, “Is that it?” 

A map of the city and the surrounding areas in the region was rolled out on the table for Add to see that it was outdated. The parchment was yellowed, almost the same shade as the popsicle Elesis was eating. When she took a bite or licked her lips for a second taste, it dripped on the parchment to add spots to the edges, sometimes forgetting to take the napkin he gave her to wipe it clean. The redhead sat with her legs crossed and had her body facing the side of the table.   


Elesis nodded, talking in between bites. “Good. You said your machines could track the enemy in battle, so I thought maybe you could use it to get a glimpse of them before we head over tomorrow.” 

“Know the enemy first before they even see you,” Add mused. “Not bad.”

“Want one?” Elesis pulled out another wrapper for a popsicle identical to the one she had in her mouth. “It’s pineapple flavored.” 

_ That explains the sweet smell _ , he thought. 

Did she buy two popsicles knowing he would want one? It was more of a surprise she didn’t offer it sooner than now since she wasn’t one to shy away from sharing with people. Her hands were sticky from her own when she gave it to him. 

It melted on his tongue when he took the first lick. The popsicle was shaped like a pineapple with the spiky ‘leaves’ tasting like mango and lemon mixed with hints of the fruit itself. Add held up the popsicle and stared at Elesis, who was finishing hers. Hm… it reminded him of someone.    


“Isn’t that cannibalism?” Add wondered. 

“What?”

“Um, nothing!” He shook his head and turned red. Did he say that out loud? Add covered his face and turned away, aghast by his mouth. What was he thinking? Trying to change the subject, he said, “I didn’t know Lanox had ice cream.” 

“Um, yeah.” Elesis rubbed her forehead with her free hand, “They said it was a specialty of theirs. Do you like it?” 

“They look like you.” 

Add bit his tongue, but the words were out. He froze, staring at Elesis with his mouth agape, wanting to cover his mouth to avoid looking like a fish, but he knew he wasn’t helping himself. He could see the damage was already done.    


The woman pressed her lips against her hand, as if confused by what he said. She had a tanner complexion than he did, but he could see red appearing on her cheeks. Not enough to make her a tomato, but she blinked and held her eyes closed before opening them again to mouth the words.  _ Pineapple. _ She looked at the wrapper and the half-eaten popsicle in Add’s hand, then touched her hair and understood.

“Oh, that’s what you meant!” Elesis couldn’t retain her composure and snorted, “Is that why you keep calling me Pineapple?” 

She slapped him on the back and laughed even harder when he gagged on his popsicle. Add suffered a brain freeze when he accidentally swallowed a piece he bit into, forced to let it slide down his throat while he struggled to recollect himself. So strong… 

Her laughter held none of the elegance Rena or Eve had, but was a loud hearty one that made everyone stare at them. Although it wasn’t a bad sound… It was pleasant to listen to if he wasn’t suffering from the extra attention they were getting and if they weren’t talking about battle tactics. 

“Are you alright?” Elesis stopped laughing when she saw Add sink into his seat with only the top of his head seen, still working on his popsicle. 

At least he had an excuse not to open his mouth any further to embarrass himself and it gave him time to gather his thoughts to form proper sentences.   


“Did you finally decide to take advantage of having two Nasod users with you?” Add asked.   


“It seems a pity if we didn’t take advantage of the resources we have,” Elesis reasoned. “I don’t think the demons can predict us having Nasods on our side.” 

“That would be good if that was the case,” Add agreed. “I should be able to get information from it tonight. I can come to you with the map tonight if you’re still up.” 

The smile she gave him made his heart stop. What did he do to deserve being placed in uncomfortable situations where he was expected to know to handle compliments and pleasantry? She finished the last of her popsicle and held the popsicle stick between her teeth.   


“That’s perfect. I’ll be waiting for you,” she paused. “Although, since you call me Pineapple, you should let me call you something too. I think it’s only fair since we’re friends, right?”   


“Friends?” Add asked more to himself than her. 

Was that what they were? Just because they knew each other for months didn’t mean they were friends because Elsword had a strange ability to bring people together. Those conversations they had over battle tactics and planning out future dungeon excursions were becoming commonplace, but wasn’t that what friends do? 

He never had the chance to have friends when he lived in Velder with his family, so it wasn’t like he had experience with making friends. It was more accurate to say they were comrades with different goals, but happened to overlap paths and worked together to achieve said goals. But friends didn’t sound like a bad suggestion either.     


“Taro?” She tested the nickname, “It’s purple like you.”   


“Call me Add,” he had a deadpan expression. The image of the hairy brown vegetable popped in Add’s mind and had the scientist wrinkle his nose. 

“You’re no fun,” Elesis pouted. 

This time, he laughed. 

* * *

_ Elysion _

Dusted in gold over cold white marble, it was a beautiful city. The rooftops were tinted in a lighter shade of lavender like gems decorating the buildings with more gold lining at the edges. The buildings’ architecture reminded Elesis of the ancient cities she once read in history books when she bothered paying attention to her lessons, at least before she was called to war by her father. 

Huge towers arched over their heads when they trekked through Elysion. Their stay in the city wasn’t long, but Elesis still marveled at the fantastic view over pillars supporting the city above what seemed to be an endless fog. For a big city, its lack of civilians made it a lonely state. The lack of laughter in the air or how quiet and still it was when she ran across the well-polished flooring felt wrong in the worst way possible. It almost made her miss the dirty cluttered city Velder was when she lived there.

“Tired of sitting around all day?” Elesis joked when Add invited her to walk with him. 

Her stomach twisted in what felt like she had destroyed the deafening silence that made it clear that no humans have inhibited the place for some time. It was a waste for Elysion to be enormous for just one man. Even if he was the creator for Nasods, Elesis couldn’t agree with Adrian’s philosophy on building a city in another dimension. Add seemed to disagree because he expressed his delight more than once on the concept of an entire city ran by Nasods. 

_ A terrifying concept, but a fascinating one _ , he said with a sly smile when asked.   


Add shrugged, his ponytail falling to the side of his head. “I walk sometimes.” 

The redhead smirked, “Without your toys?”

He let out a big sigh, “It’s not a toy. Dynamo is-” 

“A custom designed Nasod to assist you in battle and data collection,” Elesis placed her hand on her head with a grin. “Don’t you ever get tired of reciting that?”

As entertaining it was to listen to Add do the occasional techno rant on his inventions, he could at least switch the topics to something else. Like those giant stag beetles in Elysion! Or why the radishes walked of their own free will and screamed when they saw Elesis. Or why he grew eerily quiet when she asked him about his relationship with the priest who joined them on their journey.   


It seemed like the scientist came up with a new set of weapons every time they went into battle, all of them as destructive as the last. Their names held no consistency or theme Elesis could understand, so they were hard to remember. It was funny to see Add give her an exasperated look every time she misnamed them. Puffing his cheeks like that was just asking to be poked by the sides! 

“So you do listen,” he sounded impressed. 

“Of course, I do!” Elesis objected and turned pink when she realized he was teasing her with that stupid smirk of his. 

Add covered his mouth with his gloved hand to dampen his chuckling, but she saw it. His features softened when he relaxed his lips.t made him look like his age. It was kind of cute seeing him smile like that.   


Although Add wasn’t lying, dynamo was out.It encaved around him into a semicircle, rather than being used for transportation. She once accepted his offer to ride on them with him when she kept asking him questions on how they worked. It was safe to say she wasn’t planning on doing again that any time soon and preferred keeping her feet on the ground. 

She stopped when she turned to the sound of quiet whirring from the back. Unlike the rusty first generation Nasods from Altera, the ones in Elysion were maintained and well oiled. They were soundless when sliding over the flawless polished floors. The blacksmith, Durenda, was polishing her sword with the alchemist moving over to chatter in its strange language. They have gone past those two, whose stations were located farthest to the west side of Elysion. Or so she thought.    


“I think this is the end,” Elesis looked at the scientist with her head cocked to the side. Where was Add taking her? 

This time, Add didn’t bother to hide his smile and said with pride, “I found this place by accident. I thought you would be interested.” 

Oh? 

As if they sensed her curiosity, Dynamo nudged her forward to an entrance leading to another room, Add taking her hand to show her the way. His hands were cold compared to hers, which were always burning because of the fire coursing through her body, but she found her hands growing hotter. She gritted her teeth together in fear of letting loose her fire in that moment. Elesis took deep breaths. 

Over a bridge suspended in the air, she was led to a spacious courtyard surrounded by towers and tall structures covered in fog. In the middle stood a tree peering its branches over their heads to display pale flowers in full bloom. Growing together in clumps, the cherry blossoms scattered in the wind when they were picked up by the air currents, doing a little dance before landing on the floor at Elesis’s feet.       


“It looks like a great place for a picnic,” Elesis laughed. “I didn’t know you liked flowers.” 

“My m-, it looked like you haven’t sleep much,” Add said. “Your sighing makes even Apocalypse restless, so I thought you needed something to distract you. You passed out the other day.” 

“Because we were fighting Herbaon,” Elesis argued. 

The Elysian Nasod reminded her of Yuno, but his anger was foreign to her. She didn’t think Nasods were capable of strong emotions when Eve always maintained her temper and kept her emotions in check. Any concept or assumption she had on Nasods have been debunked in Elysion. 

“I’m talking about before that,” Add closed his eyes. “Go rest. I’m sure it’s easier to do that here without the brat’s snoring.” 

He chuckled when she rolled her eyes at the nickname he dubbed Elsword. So maybe Add was right that her brother was a pain in the ass sometimes and didn’t let her sleep, but what did that make her then? But there was no weight in his words when he called Elsword that, so she didn’t darken in anger when Add joked about his sleeping habits. Well...he slept like a dead log, so there!     


“You’re mumbling again…” 

His comment made her grow sudden consciousness about herself and held her breath, but gave up when a sigh escaped from her lips. It felt like her head was splitting with the pain’s intensity increasing by tenfold ever since they entered Elysion. Was her fire magic at its limits and breaking down her body? That couldn’t be, not after the training she went under in Feita to fix that problem when she lost control as a Pyro Knight. Covering her forehead, she didn’t see herself running a fever, but the headache persisted. 

A deep frown formed on Elesis’s face, “We’ll be facing Solace in a couple of days.”

Was it okay to take a nap when everyone else was preparing for the battle? There was only so much one could do after spending hours polishing weapons and restocking on supplies for the upcoming battle, but it felt wrong to sit and idle. Her eyes couldn’t stay shut when Elesis laid down on a bench beneath the cherry blossom tree. The sun was out and bright today. 

“He can wait for us,” Add snorted. “With the noise and ruckus we made back there, he’s probably expecting us.”     


“When we fight him,” she turned her bag into a makeshift pillow and rested her head on it with her face turned to the side to look at Add. “Make sure Elsword makes it out okay. I know you don’t like him, but he’s my brother and...” 

“I don’t think he needs saving any more than you do,” he said. “Both of you are too hard headed to die, but I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything too stupid.

“I knew I could count on you,” Elesis laughed. “I don’t think you’re a bad person.”

His eyebrows rose at what was meant to be a compliment, unsure on how to respond when he sat awkwardly beside her with his arms to the side. Add’s hands gripped on the bench until they were pale white, fingertips flustered pink as his face from holding on too tight. When he remembered to breathe again, Add forced a smile, but it didn’t match his eyes, frozen in thought. What was up with him?

“Don’t talk like it’s going to be your last day,” Add was upset when he mustered his words. “It’ll end like every little mishap with us having to fight another monster or demon because of something stupid.” 

It was strange and out of character for Add to be optimistic. She waited for a sassy remark from the scientist to make a fool of their situation, but instead received concern. It was worrying to see him act like this, but there was something reassuring in seeing him care, even if he was awkward about it. To think he put the effort to talk all the way out here for a place for her to sleep without disturbances. It was almost sweet.       


“I don’t think you’re a bad person either.” 

She could hear him smiling when he said that. Elesis wanted to open her eyes to see it, but exhaustion overtook her, embracing her into sleep when she felt him place his hand on her head. She only hoped she wouldn’t sleep too long so when she wakes up to return to camp there is time to make last minute preparations.  

* * *

_ Elrianode _

Crystallized tree bark burst into a million shards, falling over in what would have been a beautiful display if not for being a deadly downpour. Dynamo as a shield wasn’t enough. When the pressure was too much for even Dynamo to take, Add forced himself behind an untouched tree for shelter, grasping his arms around the uneven trunk.

Fire flashed from above, flaring outward from its source like a budding rose, hot petals spreading out and encircled a red-haired woman. It held the strength and unpredictability of a wildfire, but it was controlled. There was calculation in its movements when it twisted around Elesis before being redirected to a creature covered in crystallized armor. The Eye of Henir had a long set of tentacles that acted as projectiles that pierced through the air when they saw them as a threat. 

Add already had Dynamo switched to an install to track the creature and follow its movements, but even that may not be enough. It was an elusive creature that liked to take advantage of its intangible body to avoid being hit. Laying in the heart of the sanctuary, one could feel the influence it held over the domain. There was something in the air that made it dense and hard to breath. It was hard to fight something like that when Elesis’s fire consumed the remaining oxygen. 

Its glass-like eye froze with tentacles jabbed outward when Elesis dragged her sword across its armor to create a light dent. The sound it made when it showed discomfort was jarring. With the Flame Lord’s Claymore stuck into its eye, it flung her across with the scientist looking up to see the creature lowering its body. Elesis’s weapon came flying back at them as it fired thorns at them at high speed. When Add brought himself back up to raise his weapons, all he could see was the creature disappearing underground with the rest of its appendages following it.      


“I think I saw it retreating to the back of the sanctum,” Elesis pulled out Claymore sticking out of the ground with uneven breathes. She bared her teeth with sparks in her eyes, “We can catch up and take it down.” 

Elesis was hugging the lower region of her stomach with blood dripping from her lips. It was hard to tell, but her clothes were dampened with dark spots, gleaming under the bright blue lighting from El energy.    


Add retrieved his drones, extending his arm out to stop her from going after it and shook his head. “It already knows we’re here and will expect us. Let me look at your injuries before we leave.”   


He didn’t expect to fight the Eye of Henir without struggling, but he miscalculated it strength. Its appendages could go underground and had further range than any of the creatures they encountered so far in Elrianode. It was intelligent enough to think around its weakness if something was beyond its reach and used projectiles.   


“I almost had it,” Elesis had her hands balled into tight fists in frustration until they were white, her veins peering through. “Throwing my Claymore back is cheating!”

“I’m not sure if it knows what cheating is,” Add shrugged, but his comment was ignored. 

“It’s already bad it can stab trees with its tentacles!” She exclaimed, “Does everything here have to have big eyes and tentacles? Does anything here have arms and legs?” 

Stifling his laughter, Add snorted and almost choked on his saliva when covering his mouth with his free arm. He looked down to avoid Elesis’s stare and focused on cleaning her wounds. The first place he wanted to look at was her stomach, which had a shallow wound cut in by the Eye of Henir. After placing bandages gently around the wound to clean it from the dust particles found in the sanctum, he dressed it in new bandages to move on to other areas.   


“I still think we could have fought it here and now,” she said. 

“Now that we know that thing resides here, we can come back in bigger number to kill it.” Add attempted to steer her away from wanting to go after it. 

“Always cutting to the point, doncha?” She grinned, “I think you’re getting better at this.” 

Elesis wiggled her bandaged fingers with delight. Her left arm was scraped from an unfortunate encounter with the crystalized flooring, her skin peeled off like sweet potato. When applying light pressure, tiny drops of blood squeezed out before that part was wrapped in bandage wrap with ointment. 

“I’m not sure if that’s something to be proud of,” Add said, but couldn’t hide his pride in being praised. Facing demons on a regular basis and always pushing their body and skills past their limits, it was only natural for them to become well accustomed to dressing wounds as well.

“What are you doing?”

Add pulled his arms around Elesis with one knee raising up, Dynamo grouping together to push her weight off the ground. Dynamo held her up with no problem, but Elesis yelped when she almost lost balance and slipped off because of Dynamo’s round edges.    


“I’m taking you back to camp,” Add said. Oh, how hard he tried not show the strain in his voice, but the giggling made it clear that he wasn’t convincing and had him glare at Elesis.   


Elesis rolled her eyes, but there was mischief in them. “My arms are injured, not my legs. That’s what you get for switching to mini Apochans.”   


This time, Add lost his hold on her because Dynamo fell to the floor from the Dominator’s surprise. Elesis landed on the floor and rubbed her back to give him a ‘what the hell’ look, making him feel guilty and gave her an apologetic look.  

 

“...wait, what?” 

“You know, they look like Apochan,” Elesis poked one of the cubes. “I’m not sure how you even balance on them.” 

W-well, there may have been a flaw in making them into cubes, but he swore they were more power efficient. Add’s face grew warm when she teased him and looked away with a red face.   


Laughing at his confusion, Elesis brought her legs back to the ground, turning her body to have her chest against Add’s back. Placing her arm around his shoulder, she had her other arm behind his knees and lifted him up with minimal effort, bringing the scientist closer to lift him up. “This is how you carry someone~”

It was awkward resting his head against her chest with his legs raised and propped onto her arm. His body was curled up and the ground seemed so far away when he looked down. Add froze when he saw her arms shake from the additional weight. Pulling his legs to the side to bring them back to the ground, he fell when Elesis dropped him and hugged her arms. 

“What was that?” Add rubbed his face, “Don’t use the arm you hurt!” 

It was fine if Elesis wanted to show off her strength (As if she needed another thing to boast about!), but was today an appropriate time to do that? Dynamo caught their owner mid fall, but it still hurt having his body hit against six flat surfaces.    


“How am I supposed to do that if both of my arms are injured?” She mumbled, “Sorry.”   


“How about we stick to walking?” Seeing her pout, Add kissed the top of her head, “We can take it slow if you want…”   


“Take it slow?” Elesis winked when he glared at her, but rubbed the spot where his lips once were. Her face was quick to turn pink with the redhead looking down, but Add already saw it. There was a moment of shyness when she made eye contact with him, it almost made her look vulnerable.    


“...I meant not pushing yourself,” Add sighed.   


There was an awkward pause. 

“Oh…” She almost sounded disappointed. 

Rubbing her bandaged arms again, she twisted her body to look at Add’s handiwork and bended her arms to test for its durability. Had it been someone else, Add would have had pity for the injuries, but it was different with her. She was light on her feet when she stood with her Claymore strapped on her back with a leather belt and the runes on her skin glowed under the pale lighting.          


“Then let’s eat something when we get back,” Elesis beamed.    


Her hands were always moving when she talked to him with animated expressions, never standing still for long. Add found himself smiling with her, his face glowing warm when she took his hand. If she noticed his hands going sweaty, she didn’t show it, but the fallen bodies of the Henir creatures reminded them of what was coming up ahead for the next few days. Despite all of that, he didn’t feel nervous, not when she was around. Her presence was enough to tell him things will be okay.    



End file.
